


Winter Vacation

by DarkJediQueen



Series: 2018 Forever Angst Challenges [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Feelings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 16:27:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13505322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkJediQueen/pseuds/DarkJediQueen
Summary: It was a vacation to get away from the stress of the job, and for Aaron, it was also to think about what to do with one Spencer Reid and the way that he had been acting lately.





	Winter Vacation

**Author's Note:**

> **Spoilers** : Up Through Season 7
> 
>  **Notes** : Diverts from canon around the third episode of Season Seven.
> 
>  **Beta** : Grammarly
> 
>  
> 
> [Spencer's Cabin](http://wvcabins.com/cabins-rates/treehouse/)  
> [Aaron's Cabin](http://wvcabins.com/cabins-rates/marathon/)

Aaron looked at the cabin as he and Jack pulled up. The rental had taken more time to get squared away at the airport than he had hoped so instead of arriving at the cabin in the just setting sun daylight it was now full dark.

"Wow, Dad," Jack said from the back seat. Jack wasn't tall enough yet to be able to sit in the front seat, so he was in his booster seat in the middle of the backseat. Aaron had been glad that he had remembered it along with everything else that they packed. The snow was deep, so Aaron was glad that he had rented an SUV for the trek from Yeager Airport in Charleston, WV. There was only a single cabin close to the one that Dave had rented for him and Jack, and it was a treehouse. Aaron had seen human and dog footprints going to and from it to tell him that someone was there and had been there after the storm that had delayed the departure from DC and the rental of the SUV.

"Yeah, this place looks pretty cool," Aaron said with a smile on his face. The both of them had packed enough clothes to last them about a week even though they were only going to be there for nine days, eight nights. There was a washer and dryer in the place that Aaron planned on making use of. The team had been given two weeks off after working through Christmas, and while the rest of the team had started theirs the day before, Aaron had a meeting he couldn't miss so his started a day later, but he got no extra time off. They were going to go home with enough time to relax for a few days at home before going back to work and school. Jack's school was year round, and they had an extra long break for Christmas to cover holidays.

"After we wake up, can we meet whoever is in the treehouse cabin? I want to go there sooooo much." Jack was unbuckled from his seat and looking back at the treehouse.

"If we see them out and about I will introduce us."

"Okay." Jack yawned.

The day and the trip had been exciting, and it was the first time that Jack had been on a plane of any kind while it was old hat for Aaron. Aaron shut off the SUV and the lights. Thankfully it would only take a single trip for him and Jack to get the clothes bags into the cabin. The food, Aaron would come back out for and take it in alone. He had a large cooler that he had rented from a store that was a little over half an hour from the cabins that was full of food for the fridge and freezer. He had rented it for the week. It was a good thing for the store as it was probably in high demand in summer and since Jack was getting over a cold, Aaron wanted to keep the interior of the SUV warmer, or it would have been fine for the frozen food and the quick perishables like the milk and yogurt.

Dave had thankfully let Aaron pick the cabin that they were going to stay in. Dave had printed off a list of cabins that gave away nothing about where they were. Aaron had picked one of the medium-sized ones, and while it was huge for just the two of them, the twin bed was the draw for Aaron. On the second floor, it was going to be fun for Jack to have that all to himself while Aaron took the Queen bed on the first floor. There was a grill on the back porch as well as a jacuzzi. Aaron was looking forward to lighting the fire in the main room. He had missed fires.

There was a cabin in Virginia that he used to go to with Haley for long weekends during winter. It was that cabin that Jack had been conceived in. Aaron hadn't been to any cabins since then. He knew that was why Dave had found this one. It was a place to make new memories.

Even with the excitement of the cabin as soon as Aaron had the fire lit and had his things put up, Jack laid down to watch the fire, and he was asleep in seconds. Aaron decided to let him stay there until Aaron changed for bed. Aaron started to put up the food items, finding little places for the dry snacks.

The sound of barking had Aaron going to the front porch. He looked out to see a Beagle running around the treehouse drawbridge type area. The human he was with was all bundled up, and Aaron couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. Aaron didn't feel like talking, so he said nothing. The Beagle ran into the light that shone on the walkway, and Aaron realized that it was one of the orange colored ones. He watched as human and dog played for a little bit before going inside.

Aaron locked up when he went inside and stoked the fire a little before picking up Jack. Jack grumbled a little but didn't wake up at all. The beds were thankfully already ready for someone to sleep in. So Aaron just had to pull the top blankets down and lay Jack on the bed. The cabin was warm enough that Aaron didn't worry about the second blanket and just covered him with the sheet and middle blanket. Aaron watched as Jack settled into the bed and found the stuffed bear that had been given to him by Reid after the death of Haley. Jak had slept with the bear every night since then, and there had been a few nights of Aaron going to get it from Jessica's if it was forgotten.

The cabin was very beautiful inside, and it was the right size for both Jack and Aaron to have enough space but not be utterly alone. Aaron was glad of the full kitchen and had plans to cook some satisfying meals for the two of them for dinner and breakfast, lunch would be quickly thrown together things. Aaron was hungry, so he grabbed one of the fruit and nut bars that he had bought for himself. The fire was perfect for giving the place enough light, so Aaron turned off all the lights and settled in front of the chair that was in front of the fire.

Aaron had a lot to think about, and he knew that when he came back from vacation, he would have to do something about Reid. Since Prentiss's return, Reid had been pulling back from the team. It was slow, and it was subtle, but it was there. The most prominent change had been in October. Aaron had thought that Reid was settling into the new dynamics of the team, but instead, Reid had pulled back. Having JJ not be the media liaison anymore was a big difference, and it was something that Aaron knew was a change, on top of the other changes. Reid didn't handle change well at all. If it continued, Aaron wasn't sure if Reid was going to stay on the team or not.

The problem was that there was nothing that Aaron could do to call Reid out on what he was doing. Reid was a model agent. Since his blow up with JJ in the police precinct during the very notable case, Reid had done nothing that could even be considered a bad thing. There were no Reid Babbles as Morgan called them. Hell, he had not worn a monster face mask to work around Halloween. There was nothing that Aaron could write him up for or even do to talk to Reid. Not hanging out with the team was on an offense that could be used to censure him.

Aaron had never realized that while JJ and Garcia might be the heart of the team, Reid was the soul and right now everything that Reid did tell Aaron that there was something wrong with the young man. Aaron needed to figure out a way to do a team night that would actually have the young man come. He had gone to the cooking night at Dave's and was one of the last to leave, but Aaron couldn't remember Reid talking to anyone during the eating portion and after.

Reid's weekends, when asked about them, seemed full of exciting things that he had done, including going on a hike a month back during a warm weekend. No one could call him out on hiding as he always talked about things that he did. He just did them without anyone on the team. Before the past few months, Aaron could have assumed that the team was Reid's only friends and yet none of them did anything with the young man anymore.

Aaron would rather Reid go elsewhere than to be that unhappy at work. The only problem was that Aaron wasn't sure that Reid was unhappy at work. He was pretty confident that Reid was unhappy with something, but Aaron wasn't sure what it was.

Between one thought and the next, the warmth of the fire and the contentedness put Aaron to sleep.

XxXxXxX

Jack slept late which allowed Aaron some time to himself that morning before his son woke up. Whoever was in the treehouse cabin was already awake. More snow had fallen in the night, and there were fresh tracks that went around the back of Aaron's cabin. Aaron was sitting on the front porch, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of coffee in his hands, just admiring nature.

"DAD!" Jack yelled before his feet pounded down the steps. Aaron almost burned himself with the coffee as he set it down on the table he had pulled over. When Aaron entered the cabin, Jack was dressed for outside and shoving his feet into his boots. "Dad, it's Uncle Spencer!"

"Jack, Reid is not here." Before Aaron could grab Jack by his coat, his son was out the door and running around the cabin. Aaron could hear the neighbor's dog barking, and he grabbed his books and shoved his feet into them. Taking off without tying his shoes, Aaron came around the edge of the cabin to see Jack crouching in front of a dog. It was the same Beagle from the night before.

"Idris!" a voice called out, and it wasn't until Aaron took a second to think about it that he knew that it was in fact, Reid. Reid came around the back of the cabin at a fast clip and stopped. His eyes were focused on Jack, so he didn't see Aaron. "Jack?"

"Uncle Spencer," Jack cried out as he stood up and near leaped at Reid. Reid caught him, and the dog turned tactics to try and get at Jack again by jumping in place.

"Where's your father?" Reid asked before he looked up and started to look around. Reid locked his eyes with Aaron. The look on Reid's face could be called comical if he was truly shocked. "Hotch."

"Hello, Reid. It seems that we are cabin neighbors," Aaron said as he started to walk closer to the trio. The dog figured out that Aaron wasn't a stranger, so it darted for him. Aaron crouched down and let the dog sniff him. "Aren't you a pretty..."

"Girl. Hotch meet Idris, she's a nine-month-old orange and white Beagle."

"She's pretty," Jack said as he wiggled down out of Reid's arm and came over to where Aaron was petty Idris. "Can I play with her?"

"Sure. We were just out for a morning walk. You'd better tie your shoes, Hotch or you are going to fall over in the snow." Reid's eyes darted down to Aaron's shoes and then back up to his face. Aaron gave up petting Idris and then started to tie his shoes.

"It's so cool you are here, Uncle Spencer," Jack said.

Aaron looked up from tying his second shoe to see that Reid was still in the same place that he had been. As if looking at him caused Reid to realize that he was acting strange, Reid took a few steps forward, halving the distance between them.

"How long are you staying?" Aaron asked.

"Another seven nights. That way I have a few days time after getting back to get Idris settled in again."

Idris decided that she had enough attention from the new people and walked back over to where Reid was.

"That's how long we are staying!" Jack said, and he seemed really excited about it. Aaron glared at the back of his son's head.

"That'll be a nice getaway for the two of you. Idris and I have been out a little longer than I would like with the snow, so we are going to go back to our cabin." Reid started forward again, giving Aaron and Jack a wide berth when Reid was a few feet behind them, he whistled, and Idris took off after him. Aaron stood up and laid a hand on Jack's shoulder to stop him from going forward. That was one of the most impersonal conversations that he had ever had with Reid, even with Reid pointing out his boots. Jack thankfully didn't seem to notice it.

"What do you say about breakfast, Buddy?" Aaron asked hoping that it would distract Jack from wanting to go and play with Idris more.

"Can we invite Uncle Spencer and Idris?" Jack asked.

"Buddy, this is a vacation. I don't think that Reid wants to spend it with his boss."

"But we are his friends."

"I know buddy." Aaron looked toward the treehouse as they rounded the cabin and found that Reid had shut all of the blinds or at least the blinds that were on the side of the treehouse that faced Aaron's cabin.

While fixing breakfast for the two of them, omelets because Jack had become slightly obsessed with them over the past few weeks, Aaron thought about the actual likelihood that Dave had known that Reid was going to be there and set this up as a way to force Aaron to talk to him. Dave had brought up the strange way that Reid was acting more than once.

Aaron was left to watch the snow come down on the area around them as Jack built a snowman. Jack wanted to build it on his own with no help, so Aaron was sitting on the porch with a cup of tea. There was a cup of it for Jack in a thermos that kept it just warm enough to drink. Jack came up every ten or so minutes to get a drink before rushing back to make the perfect snowman. Reid never made an appearance. He stayed inside all through breakfast and then even lunch after Aaron made Jack come inside to warm up before they went on a hike after lunch. The snow was deep but if Jack walked in his tracks the boy's legs wouldn't get too cold.

Jack had never been in woods like this when it was snowing like it was. Aaron liked watching him look around when they got to a new area, and he just stared at the trees covered in ice and snow.

"This is so cool, Dad," Jack said as they stood on a hill that had a path already cleared on it and the footprints told him that it was where Reid had gone with Idris because there so many paw prints everywhere. It was very beautiful, and the hill looked out on a section of the valley that was lower than where they were so it was just snow covered tree tops.

"Yes, it is. It's very pretty." Aaron inhaled deeply, feeling the burn of the cold air but he didn't care. Instead, he just looked out on nature. It was rare to see something so beautiful in his life. He was surrounded by death and horribleness, but this was enough to make it all worth it. Aaron made a big difference in his job, and he was proud of it.

Aaron turned toward where Jack was looking back behind them, where there were a lot higher areas of elevation. Those were blocked off with signs about fallen trees blocking the path. Aaron knew in weather like this with heavy snow and ice fall it would topple trees with little provocation.

There was a sound that Aaron hadn't heard in years. It sounded like a branch breaking but a lot louder. The sound echoed around the valley and the hills, but Aaron turned until he saw where a cloud of snow was falling to figure out where the tree was falling.

"What's that?" Jack asked, he looked scared and ran to Aaron, slipping a little in the snow. Aaron caught him and held him in place. Aaron had no clue where they had started, so he didn't know where the tree was falling. Aaron had the number for the service desk, so if it did drop down where it was blocking the path, Aaron could call.

"That's a tree getting ready to fall."

Aaron picked up Jack and held him on his hip so that Jack could see. The tree was finally starting to tip. It seemed to happen in slow motion until it was quick as lightning as the last bit of the base of the tree finally gave way. Aaron closed his eyes to listen really close. The tree hit something as it went down but whatever it was didn't stop it's fall because seconds later the boom of contact with the ground happened.

"Can we go find it?" Jack asked, his voice a whisper.

"If it's close to our way back to our cabin. We've been out a long time, and I don't want you getting too cold."

"Okay," Jack whispered again.

Aaron pressed a dry kiss to Jack's forehead. Jack wiggled to get out of Aaron's arms, so Aaron set him down at the same time that Aaron's phone chimed. It was a text. Aaron frowned as he pulled it free from its inner pocket.

_Are you and Jack okay?_

It was from Reid, so Aaron frowned even more. He sent a text back saying that they were fine and had watched the tree fall from a safe distance. Aaron waited for a minute for a text to come back, but nothing did. Aaron pocketed the phone again and started him and Jack toward the cabin. Aaron kept the location of the fallen tree in his mind as they neared the cabin and Aaron realized that Reid's text was because it had fallen pretty close to where the two cabins were.

Aaron stopped in his tracks as they rounded the edge of the cabin from behind to realize that what the tree had hit before finally resting on the ground hadn't been a smaller tree like Aaron had thought but the drawbridge that allowed Reid to get out of his cabin.

"UNCLE SPENCER!" Jack yelled and tried to take off, but Aaron grabbed him and stopped him.

"Go to our cabin, Jack and stay on the porch."

"Dad," Jack said as he started to cry.

"Reid texted me that he was okay and worried about us, after the tree fell, Jack. He's fine. I need you in a safe place so I can worry about him. Do you think you can do that?"

Jack nodded but said nothing. He took off running for the cabin and stopped just as he got onto the porch, his eyes locked on Reid's cabin. Aaron turned away from him to see movement inside of Reid's cabin. The door opened, and Reid was standing there with Idris in his arms. The gap was big enough that Reid wouldn't be able to cross it, but Aaron figured that Idris could be tossed over. She was probably freaking out. Aaron started toward the cabin, and when he got to the edge of the land, he looked down at the tree that had fallen. It seemed old, and he could see where it had snapped off from the base and it seemed very dry and brittle on the inside, but the outside looked fine.

"Do you want me to take Idris?" Aaron asked as he grabbed the branch of a tree to test it. It bore his weight. Aaron caught it with his whole hand and stepped onto the edge of the bridge that was left and found that it was sturdy.

"She's scared, but if you have bacon, she might be convinced to jump over to you. She's an excellent jumper." Reid's tone was steady, and Aaron knew it well. Spencer was calm because he had to be. Best work under pressure came to Aaron's mind. "She can clear that."

"Jack," Aaron yelled as he turned. "Get a piece of the bacon from the fridge and bring it to me, please."

Jack disappeared into the cabin as quickly as he could. Aaron turned back to Reid to see that his hands were starting to shake. Reid set Idris down who stayed right at Reid's feet. Aaron scooted back to where Idris would have enough room to land and crouched to his knees. He felt the cold seep in from the fresh snow, but he didn't care.

"Did you call the desk?"

"Yes. They are dispatching some people who are going to put on a rope walk to get me out. I just don't think that Idris will go to them."

"Good thing I'm here huh?"

Jack's feet sounded behind Aaron, and he turned and held out his hand. Jack handed over two pieces of bacon.

"You want some bacon?" Reid asked. Idris's whole body language changed from scared to excited. Reid pointed at Aaron. Aaron held out the bacon.

"Come here, Idris. I've got some bacon." Aaron waved the bacon as he spoke and gave a small whistle.

"Bacon, Idris," Jack said.

Spencer stepped back inside as Idris backed up some before taking off running. Aaron's heart jumped into his throat as she sprung over the gap and landed with over half a foot of clearance before she went right for Aaron. Aaron broke the bacon into three bits each and let her eat them out of his hand. She licked Aaron's hand clean before looking at Jack expecting more.

"Jack, buddy, take Idris inside with you please. We don't need her underfoot for this."

"Okay. I'll take her up to my room so we can watch." Jack called Idris after he walked a few feet away and the dog followed him.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Aaron asked, seeing that Reid was shaking harder.

"Yes. We had just come back inside. I didn't even have my boots off when the noise started. I went to the window and saw it start to fall. I knew that it wouldn't hit the whole of the cabin, so I picked up Idris and moved to the back. I almost went out the back door when the impact happened. I waited to make sure that nothing else was going to fall and then went out the back door to check on things. Idris hid under the bed."

"I'm glad you are safe. Why don't you start tossing some of your stuff over?"

"I don't have much." Reid disappeared inside, and the first thing that he came out with was apparently a bag of stuff for Idris. Aaron caught it easily. Next was, strangely enough, a laptop bag. The next pack took a few minutes, and it was a bag of clothes. Reid came out with an empty bag next, and Aaron caught it with a frown.

"Would you rather catch the bag full of books or each book one at a time?"

"One at a time thank you." Aaron smiled at the smile that peaked out of

Thirty-five books later the book bag was full. Aaron carried that up to his porch to get it out of the weather along with the laptop. Jack and Idris, were side by side in the window watching. Aaron walked back to see that Reid had one of the coolers and was stuffing it full of food. Aaron watched him tie a rope to each end before scooting it to the door.

Aaron grabbed the first rope as it was tossed to him. Reid held onto his end, and Aaron pulled with his. As long as they both kept the cord taut, there would be no issue. It wasn't going to be able to get Reid across, but it would get his things out of the cabin as quickly as possible the supports for the cabin looked good, but there was a chance they were not.

Just after getting the cooler onto solid ground, the crunch of wheels told Aaron that someone had pulled up. Hopefully, it was the crew to get Reid out.

"Hello," the first man to get out said.

"Hello. Doctor Reid is fine, and we've got most of his things out."

"And the pup?" The second asked looking very worried.

"In with my son. Bacon got her to jump the hole."

"Good. So Doc. How good are you at knots?"

"Good enough for this."

Aaron watched as sets of ropes were tossed across to Reid, and the men talked Reid through where to fix them to the cabin for the most support. After that was done, one of the men walked across the tightrope bridge wearing a harness that was secured to a tree with the other man feeding it.

"Do you have anything left inside?" the man asked before he started to take off the harness. Reid submitted to the harness being put on him.

"No. I have nothing left in there. Hotch helped me get everything out."

"Thank, Mister for helping him before we got here. First time this has never happened. We check the trees at the start of the winter season," the man who was on Aaron's side said.

"I looked down at it, and the outside looks really good but inside is very dry looking. So I would say that it was on its last legs and without the ice would have started to look sick this spring when it was time for leaves to appear on it."

"Know something about trees do you?"

"I spend a lot of time in the woods in my youth."

"Still, thanks."

"Dad?" Jack asked as he stepped on the porch. Aaron turned to look at him. He had used the laces from his tennis shoes as a leash.

"There is an actual leash in the bag Jack, the one with the paw print on it," Reid called out.

Aaron watched Jack as he came off the porch and guided Idris on the shoestring leash until he made it to the bag with the print on it. Jack found the leash and clipped it to Idris's collar before pocketing the lace. Jack started to walk again and stopped right where Aaron was. Aaron looped his arm around Jack's shoulders and pressed his son close as Reid started across the rope bridge. Aaron was watching Reid's hands on the two ropes that were used as handholds as he walked the tightrope part. Reid was calm and steady, and Aaron wondered what was going through his head.

"The attendant that I talked to said that you guys would drive me down to the location of my rental?" Reid asked as he got to the solid ground.

"Yes. We have another team coming in to secure the tree and to make sure that nothing else is going to happen to the actual treehouse. I'm going to stay here and check it out while Steven drives you back," the man on the other side of the hole said.

"To your rental?" Aaron asked.

"We are actually full on the cabins right now. Many who are getting away from it all. We won't have a cabin for the Doc for two days."

"I'm just going to go back to DC," Reid said.

"No, stay with us," Jack cried out.

"Son, I'm sure that he doesn't have to stay with strangers," the man who was working the harness of Reid said.

"Actually, that man is my boss," Reid said.

"Really?" both men said at the same time.

"Please, Uncle Spencer, don't leave," Jack said.

"Jack," Aaron said, his tone hard.

Reid gave Aaron a small smile and looked at Jack. "I'm not going to intrude on your first true vacation, Jack. You and your father deserve this."

"Look if you want to talk, I can stay here and help secure everything. I can run you down at any point," the man said as he pulled the last strap off of Spencer. "I mean it."

Reid looked at Jack and then Aaron, and when Aaron nodded, Spencer sighed.

"Okay, I'll talk to Jack and Hotch." Reid stepped away from the man and grabbed the bag with his clothes in them. Jack rushed forward and grabbed Idris's bag. Aaron grabbed the final bag that he had no clue what was inside it. Aaron lugged it up. It was light, but Aaron knew that Reid could pack a whole week of clothes in a single go bag, so the second was interesting.

Jack was taking off his boots when Aaron got inside. Reid was behind him. Reid shut the door and grabbed the bag that Aaron had. Reid opened it and inside were towels. A lot of hand towels. Some were in bags, and some were not. Reid pulled out one and Idris walked over to him to be dried off. Aaron watched as Idris pranced in place as she was dried off.

"She likes that huh?" Aaron asked as he crouched.

"Yes. She does. I brought enough so that I couldn't have to do wash them more than once maybe twice. We've gone through a lot of them, so I'll have to wash them at the communal washer and dryer they have."

"We have one here," Aaron said.

"Please, Spencer. Don't go," Jack near begged. He rushed to Reid and wrapped his arms around him. Reid looked to be at a loss at what to do. He looked at Aaron for help. "I'll sleep down here with dad. You can have the upstairs, and I promise that I won't bother you."

"Jack," Aaron said as he stepped over to pull Jack from Reid. Reid chose that second to wrap his arms around Jack and hug him back.

"There is a futon upstairs that Jack can take or you can. The other bed is a twin bed, and Jack slept there last night. I'm sure that this place is big enough to not cause any problems with us staying away from each other."

"You got a way to get away from everything. I can go home, and Idris and I can relax in my apartment. It's not like anyone is going to expect me there. I made it plain I was going out of town."

"This place is big enough," Aaron said. It was like fate was smiling on him. Aaron knew that Reid would cave if Aaron put enough pressure on him. Aaron wasn't above using Jack. "I would like it if you stayed."

Reid looked up at Aaron and glared, but he nodded. "I'll take the futon." Reid stood up and grabbed his laptop bag from where Aaron had set it on the front porch. He grabbed the bag of books as well.

Jack looked at Aaron and Aaron shook his head. At lunch, Aaron could try and talk Reid down. Aaron thought about what he could do for lunch that would actually entice Reid down. Jack walked toward the fire pit, and Idris followed him. Aaron went back outside to get the cooler up onto the porch. Until Reid was down from his room, Aaron was going to leave it alone. He did get all of Reid's thing that was left and carried them up, except for the bag of towels for Idris. Those he piled over where Aaron had towels for him and Jack if they got in a snowball fight. He left the dirty ones down in the bag and piled the good ones beside the full sized towels. Reid would come out of hiding when he felt like it.

XxXxXxX

Aaron heard a faint noise ad he wasn't sure what it was so he listened for a few seconds before rolling over. Aaron saw that Reid was sitting by the fire with a blanket wrapped around himself. He had the laptop on his lap, and he was tying away. It was a very quiet keyboard, and Aaron had to wonder how much it would cost to requisition one for every computer in the BAU.

Reid had a mug of something there at his side that he sipped at every few minutes. Aaron didn't make any noise as he sat up in bed. Reid was typing faster than he did when he was working on casework or an article or paper for an educational publication. Aaron wondered precisely what Reid was working on. He had no source material scattered around him, and he didn't click over from one page to another in the browser. He was just typing and typing and typing.

After another ten minutes of typing, Reid grabbed the mug and set down the laptop. He didn't even look at Aaron's part of the cabin as he fixed himself another cup of tea. Aaron could see a box of tea that he knew wasn't in his things, so it had to have been in Reid's things. Aaron wondered where Idris was. Aaron watched as Reid fixed another cup of tea, taking the mug with tea bag back to the chair. Reid moved the table around to where it was kind of beside the corner of the chair, and he sat down with his legs over the side of the chair. The laptop was picked up and settled on Reid's thighs.

Aaron slowly got up off the bed, making as little noise as possible. The fire and it's cracking covered most of the noise that Aaron did make and the rest Reid had to have taken as just Aaron moving on the bed because he didn't look. Aaron quietly made his way to where Reid was and started to read what he could on the screen of the laptop. It only took a few sentences to realize that it was a fiction story that Reid was working on. Aaron stopped then and moved to the kitchen, making noise that would alert Reid to the fact that he was awake. The steady typing stopped for ten seconds before resuming.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Reid said his voice just low enough that Aaron could hear him but not loud enough for it to carry to Jack and wake him up.

"You didn't."

The typing kept going but it was at a slower speed, and Aaron looked over to see that Reid kept glancing at him. Aaron set about making himself a cup of tea using the still hot enough water. He looked at the tea that Reid had brought, and it sounded delicious. A variation of Earl Grey with cream and coconut. It was loose, and there were paper filters right there beside it, ready to be filled.

"Do you mind if I have some of the tea?" Aaron asked.

"Help yourself. I have a box of other flavors if you want something different."

"No, this is fine." Aaron poured the water into a fresh mug and added enough of the leaves to the filter before he settled it into the cup. Aaron liked his hot tea with just a little sugar, but he wanted to taste this as it was. He dunked the filter just a little in the water before letting it settle. Aaron turned around to face Reid. "I'm glad we are both awake right now. I've wanted to talk to you for a while now, and this is good."

"Give me ten minutes," Reid said not looking up from his screen.

"Sure." Aaron took a sip of the tea and found that it was still weak, so he set it down and found the toaster and the cinnamon bread to toast a few pieces. It was nice and light but enough to fill the hunger that was in Aaron's belly, which was probably from nerves more than an actual need to eat.

Reid typed away, and after nine minutes, he started to use the trackpad on the computer to do something before closing the lid on the laptop and setting it down on the table beside his mug of tea. Aaron watched him wring out the filter and set it in a dish that Aaron hadn't noticed at all on the table.

"Let's get the elephant out of the room," Aaron started as he pushed off the counter with his plate of toast in one hand and his tea in the other. His filter was on a small plate on the counter to dry out some. Reid didn't move from the seat and his eyes focused on the fire. Aaron took the chair that was opposite side of the fire to Reid.

"Which elephant?" Reid asked.

"The way you've been acting since Prentiss came back."

"I've been a model agent," Reid defended, already setting himself on the defensive.

"Yes, you have. Which should be a Unit Chief's dream but it's not you."

"Maybe it's the new me. Everyone else is allowed to change, but I'm not?" Reid asked.

Aaron knew what Reid was doing, he was trying to set Aaron up to get upset and fight with Reid which would just make Reid dig his heels in and prove that he was right or Aaron would just stop talking to him. Aaron realized that Reid was doing it to everyone on the team when they questioned him lately. Reid was one of the better profilers on the team because he could do that. Aaron snorted and let it settle in his mind that Reid had been using their own thoughts about the younger man against them for years.

"You know, I think that right now I see you better than I have for years." Aaron set his mug down on the table beside his chair and grabbed a piece of toast. "No one on the team realized until recently that you've cut yourself off from us. You have the right to do that. There is no rule that you have to hang out with us when the job is over, but you've built a life that no one knows what is going on it and you've done it under our noses."

"I'm allowed to do what I want."

"Yes, you are, and I'm not saying that you can't, but you used to at least come out with us some. I don't as often, but I have Jack. You've bought a dog that no one knows you even have. She's very well trained, so you've had her a while. You go hiking, and you went on vacation to a cabin in the woods in the middle of winter when you used to gripe it we went somewhere that was colder than fifty degrees for work. You are writing a fiction book of some kind, and yes I know reading over your shoulder was underhanded, but I wanted to know what you were doing as you were typing faster than I have ever seen you do before and you were not referencing any materials." Aaron took a bite of his toast to give Reid a chance to say something.

"I was starting to have headaches. Pounding ones that lasted for days. After one almost got me killed, I went to every person that would take a look at me. There was no physical reason for them. No tumor, no anything. The first doctor I saw said that it was psychosomatic. I got defensive because of Mom and her schizophrenia. One of the last I went to looked at me as a whole. Severe stress-related migraines. So I made some changes, most of them started after the case with Sammy. Playing the piano helped and then I saw that doctor and more changes were made. After Prentiss came back, I got Idris because she's lovely and she helps with my stress a lot."

"That doesn't explain why you've cut us out."

Reid shrugged and took a drink of his tea before looking at the fire. Aaron felt that Reid was just trying to brush it all off with a shrug. He knew why he was cutting the team off, but he wasn't saying it. He was trying to protect himself or protect the team and their feelings at the cost of himself.

"Reid, explain it to me."

"I don't have to explain to my boss what I do on my time off as long as it doesn't interfere with my job." Reid picked up his mug and drained it before standing up and taking it into the kitchen. Aaron heard the sink running and the mug being rinsed out.

"I think it's time for me to turn in," Reid said as he passed by Aaron. He left the laptop right there on the stand and started to walk to the stairs.

"Don't, please," Aaron said. THere was no sound of steps on the stairs, so Aaron opened eyes that he hadn't realized that he had closed. "Just explain it all to me. I didn't even know that you were getting headaches. You had the one in that case in Florida that I know you tried to pass off, but I figured that it was a one-off."

"Prentiss knew about them and then she left. I told Morgan, and he was sympathetic during that case with the UnSub who everyone thought was schizophrenic but wasn't but after that...nothing. It wasn't important anymore, so I made the decision that I was going to do what I wanted in my life. I had learned early on that if no one understood the things that made me happy it was better to just not talk about them. I thought maybe on the team I had found some people who could understand that I was different and accept me for it. We go after enough people who are tired of being different around those that they are close to, but it didn't prove to be that way. The team used to go to bars instead of clubs but after Rossi joined we do clubs more than anything because it has a wider range of clientele. I don't like them, so I choose not to go."

Aaron heard footsteps, and Reid passed by him on the way to the fireplace. Reid sat down on the stone that surrounded the fire, and he stared into the flames.

"I'd rather stay at home and have a marathon of shows or documentaries that I missed while working and I get made fun of for not doing what Morgan's definition of fun is. I don't like to travel that much for relaxation because I do enough of it in work that staying home seems like a good thing and Prentiss makes fun of me. I stay in the job because it makes me happy but it's made me realize that I have to make myself happy and if I lose the friendship of my coworkers, so be it. I can't make them happy and keep myself happy. Rossi is one of the only ones that accept me for who I am, and he doesn't try and force his companionship on me when he knows it's not wanted."

"What about JJ?"

"What about her?"

"You've not been doing anything with her, and you used to."

"She changed when she went to work for the State Department. It started mainly before Prentiss's faked death, but she won't talk to me, and so I won't force her to. She's got Will, and she had Henry, so she doesn't need me anymore."

"You used to seek me out and talk to me."

"In the wake of Prentiss's faked death, you started to tell me that you were too busy. I got the idea that you didn't care to talk, so I stopped forcing my presence on you. Idris became my confidant, and at least she can't spill my secrets to anyone."

Aaron watched Reid as he stared at the fire and digested what he said. He hadn't been able to face Reid knowing that he was lying to him about Prentiss and her faked death. He hadn't realized that in doing so, he was telling Reid that Aaron didn't want him around anymore.

"Then October came and went, and I just accepted that the team had changed and left me behind."

"No, Reid."

"We had a big party for Prentiss and her birthday. It was the first thing we did as a team after the cooking thing at Rossi's."

"I remember. Garcia got pretty drunk that night and started a karaoke thing at the club we were at."

"Yeah. When's Jack's birthday?" Reid turned to look at Aaron as he asked the question.

"October seventh." Aaron wasn't sure why Reid was asking that.

"When is Prentiss's?"

"October twelfth."

"When is mine?"

"October-" Aaron stopped himself and swallowed. He closed his eyes and thought back on Reid's birth year as well. Reid had turned thirty, and no one had even done a damned thing for him. Aaron had thrown a party for Jack on his birthday as it had been a Friday. Several friends had stayed over. Prentiss's had been on a weeknight but Aaron had told the team to come in late. Reid's had been on a Sunday, and it had passed them all by. He could see him not saying anything because he thought maybe the team was going to surprise him. Then Prentiss's and the party for her and nothing for him. Aaron remembered that Reid had left that party early stating he had an early morning call he had to place. Reid had been hurt the most in the wake of Prentiss faked death, and no one had even tried to make him feel like he was a part of the team. No wonder he didn't do anything for Halloween around the office.

"I'm sorry."

"There is no reason to be sorry. Life is what it is." Reid reached his hand out like he was trying to get it warm in the heat of the fire, however, Aaron realized that he was holding it too close. Reid was trying to feel anything, even if it was pain.

Aaron dropped the piece of toast that was long forgotten in his hand on the floor and stood up. Reid didn't react to Aaron sitting down beside him on the hearth. Reid didn't respond until Aaron was pulling his hand from the flame. Even those few seconds of his hand being there made Aaron's hand hurt. Aaron didn't let Reid pull his hand to his chest. Instead, Aaron turned it over to see the slight red of the skin. Aaron wasn't thinking when he placed a kiss on the slightly toasty fingertips, one after another before kissing the palm of Reid's hand. Aaron knew that what he had done to Reid was terrible, but he wanted to explain his part in it. Aaron had explained the Prentiss thing, and still, Reid blamed JJ more than him. Aaron knew that he couldn't change that.

"Before Doyle entered our lives, I was talking to Jessica about dating. She was shocked. A lot shocked actually."

"Why?" Reid asked, but his eyes never moved from where he was looking at his hand and the location where Aaron had kissed his hand last.

"Because before that moment, she thought that you and I were dating. You came over at least one day each weekend to spend time with Jack and with me, and she really thought that we were dating. I hadn't looked at it like that. Then Doyle happened, and in the wake of lying about Prentiss, I pulled back because I hated that every single time I opened my mouth, I wanted to tell you that she was alive. I started to ignore you because it hurt less to do that than it did to make myself see the pain in you that I was causing. Then you stopped trying, and for a while it was good. I felt better. Then I realized that the divide was too big for a casual night out with Jack and me to fix. We had both stopped trying, and I didn't know what to do to fix it." Aaron turned Reid's hand again before he curled the fingers into a loose fist and kissed his knuckles. Reid gasped, and his eyes rolled from Aaron toward the fire.

"I've missed you," Aaron said before he scooted closer, never letting go of Reid's hand.

"I missed you, too," Reid whispered.

"Good. That means that this can be fixed. I want to fix this. Hell, that's what I was trying to figure out on this vacation. Fixing the divide between you and me."

"I was just using it to get away," Reid said. He darted a glance at Aaron before looking back at the fire.

Aaron opened his mouth to say something, but he yawned. Reid smiled.

"I found I couldn't fall asleep, so I came down to try and beat my brain to sleep by writing."

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Idris abandoned me for Jack. She's slept with me since I got her and found that sleeping alone was keeping me up."

"Come to bed with me, just to sleep. We need sleep, both of us."

Reid stared at Aaron's eyes for almost a minute before he nodded. Reid gracefully stood up, compared to Aaron's slower standing. Reid turned to start to walk to the bed, but Aaron tugged him back with his hand. Reid looked at him questioningly. Aaron leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Reid's lips.

"I wanted to do that once so that I could know what kissing you is like. I know that we have a lot to do to get back to what we were, but I want to."

"I want to as well."

Aaron let Reid go that time before following him. Reid slipped into the side of the bed that Aaron hadn't been on and covered himself up all the way to his ears. Away from the fire, he was cold. Aaron got into bed and reached over to pull Spencer closer. Aaron kept on until Reid was facing him. Aaron laid on his back and patted his chest. Reid hesitated a few seconds before he put his head on Aaron's arm and pressed his cheek to Aaron's chest. Aaron wrapped his arm around Reid and held him close. Reid shifted a little and laid his leg over Aaron's, getting comfortable. It was the way that they had slept that one case that there was only a single room available with a double bedroom and the rest were singles in the little B&B that was the only place the team had to stay. Rossi and Morgan had claimed the single rooms while JJ and Prentiss had taken the double bed. That left a single room with a queen bed for Aaron and Reid. They had fallen asleep on opposite sides of the bed and woke up like they were. It was what had started the slow slide to more than friends and co-workers that had stopped in the mud with Prentiss's faked death.

Reid laid his arm over Aaron's chest and closed his eyes, seemingly falling asleep between one breath and the next. Aaron followed him not long after.

XxXxXxX

Waking up with Spencer in bed with him had changed Aaron's outlook on waking up early. So far jack had not caught them but he wore himself out during the day playing with Idris in the snow, and last night there had been a snowball fight after dinner that had worn out all of them. The memories of Spencer, red-faced from laughing and exertion, smiling at Aaron after pelting him with a snowball in the face would keep Aaron feel like he was floating for a long time. It was their last day in their cabin in the woods. Later that afternoon, they would pack up the SUV and head back to Charleston to get on to a flight home.

A day trip to Charleston had seen them returning spencer's rented Sedan and coming back in the SUV that Aaron had rented. The trip alone as Jack wanted to ride with Spencer when they had gone to Charleston had sucked but walking around the mall in Charleston with Spencer holding his hand and sometimes tucked into Aaron's side had made up for it. Especially the trip back with all of them in the SUV. Jack had been hyper from ice cream after lunch, but he had worn out quickly after dinner.

"What are you thinking about?" Spencer asked, his voice rough with sleep.

"You," Aaron answered quickly. Spencer turned his head to bury his face in the little space between Aaron's side and Spencer's chest. Things had been very slow and very good over the past week between them, and Aaron didn't want to rush that. After Jack had gone to bed last night, Aaron and Spencer had made out like teenagers on the couch. They had already talked everything to death over the week, and Aaron felt like they were at a good place in their relationship.

Aaron turned a little, using his arm wrapped around Spencer to drop the younger man down underneath of him. Aaron stared down at Spencer. There was no hiding that the both of them woke with erection. Spencer had been pressing his into Aaron's hip, but Aaron hadn't mentioned it the past few mornings that it had happened, but today, Aaron wanted to do something about it before Jack work up. Aaron reached down and grabbed the blanket, pulling it over the both of them, just in case.

"Were you having naughty dream about me?" Spencer asked his voice breathless and a smile on his face. He reached up and gripped the hem of Aaron's shirt and drew it over his head. Aaron picked up on hand to allow Spencer to get the shirt off of it before swapping hands.

"Not naughty," Aaron whispered before ducking down to kiss Spencer. Spencer opened his mouth as soon as Aaron trace his lips with his tongue. Spencer raised his legs and bent them to grip Aaron between them. "Naughty means that I shouldn't be having them and there is nothing naughty about what I want to do to you."

"Aaron," Spencer said and oh the way that he said Aaron's name made him shudder. Aaron wiggled his hand under Spencer's neck to bring his mouth up to where they could kiss. Spencer's hands touched Aaron's naked stomach, and they both moaned. Aaron settled his hips down to where their cocks were touching through their sleep pants. Spencer's eyes shot open at that first touch and Aaron could see how aroused Spencer was with how big the black of his eyes was.

"Wrap your legs around me," Aaron said.

Spencer complied, and it changed the angle that they were at, making it feel so much better with the next thrust.

"This okay?" Aaron asked as he nipped at the pulse point on Spencer's neck, he had found out last night that Spencer really liked his neck being played with.

"Mmmm," Spencer answered.

Aaron nosed Spencer's chin, making Spencer tip his head back. Aaron kissed down the column of his neck. Spencer's hands grabbed Aaron's hips and pulled Aaron down into him harder on their next thrust. Spencer was trying to keep quiet, and he was making interesting noises because of it. Aaron pulled down on Spencer's shirt enough to suck a bruise on the skin just below there. He had done a matching one on Spencer's other side the night before.

Spencer came with a strangled cry just as Aaron lifted his lips away from Spencer's skin. It sounded good, and Aaron jerked himself up to watch Spencer's face. It was nice to see Spencer giving himself over to pleasure. Aaron felt Spencer's hands moving as Spencer lay there panting on the bed and nearly fell off the bed when he felt a hand on his cock.

"Shit," Aaron said when he realized that Spencer's hand was wet with what Aaron could only guess his own release. It took only a few pumps, and Aaron was coming all over Spencer's hand. Spencer watched Aaron's face through his entire orgasm, and Aaron wanted Spencer to watch every other one that he had for the rest of his life.

"I think we can do this," Spencer said before he let his fingers unwrap from Aaron's cock. Aaron shuddered as Spencer rang a finger from the base of his cock up to the slit. Aaron felt a dribble of release slip out, and he watched as Spencer raised his hand up to lick his fingers. Aaron's cock twitched like it was trying to get hard again. Aaron couldn't wait to get Spencer home into his bed with an actual bedroom in it.

"Yes, we can," Aaron said before he kissed Spencer, chasing the taste of his release on Spencer's tongue. "Stay the night tonight at mine?"

"Are you sure? Jack didn't raise too big of an eyebrow at us holding hands but me staying in your place when we are home."

"I won't hide this."

"No, no. I know that." Spencer pushed at Aaron a little, and he allowed Spencer to sit up. Spencer grimaced as his pants moved, but he arranged Aaron like he wanted and sat on his lap, wrapping the blanket around them where it fell when Aaron sat up. Aaron held it in place around the both of them as Spencer wrapped his arms around Aaron's neck. "It's different here where there is no one that we know as compared to at home. Especially since Rossi thinks that you are going after your training partner."

"That's Dave wants not mine. You are all that I want."

"I know." Spencer leaned in and kissed Aaron again, giving it his all.

XxXxXxX

Aaron had been settled into his desk for an hour when Dave wandered in.

"So how was the vacation?"

"It was good."

"Reid's was good. He's got hickeys on his neck. He's got them covered, but I saw two when he scratched his neck."

Aaron couldn't help the self-satisfied grin on his face as he remembered holding Spencer down and laid several more on him before they had left for work that morning. So far Aaron had talked Spencer into staying over every night. Idris liked the apartment, but it had Aaron thinking about buying a house with a backyard for her. She slept with Jack at night.

"You look like you had a good vacation with that grin."

"Yes. So I wanted to tell you. Beth."

"Yes."

"She and I didn't hit it off."

"That's okay. We can try again."

"No, I'm quite content with the relationship I started on my vacation. On that note, since you are the reason that the fraternization rules state that no agent can sign off on reports of the one they are sleeping with, you get to take care of Spencer's reports from now on."

Aaron enjoyed the look of utter shock on Dave's face at that.

# The End

**Author's Note:**

> For those that want to see what Idris looks like. Here you go.  
> 


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